Huawei Nova 2: News and rumors

The original Huawei Nova smartphone had a few problems, but the sequel is shaping up to cure several of them.

The Huawei Nova and Nova Plus were announced in September 2016, and while we appreciated the beautiful minimalist design and excellent camera, we weren’t quite so taken with the shaky software and high price. Rumors are spreading Huawei is preparing the Nova 2 range for release, and it may come sooner rather than later. Here’s everything we think we know about them so far.

Design

A series of promotional posters leaked on the Chinese social network Weibo may give us a clue about the Nova 2’s design. If the images are accurate portrayals of the Nova 2’s design, then it’s clear Huawei is taking plenty of inspiration from the P10 and P10 Plus, including the use of two camera lenses.

This leaked poster shows up to four different colors — a green, a pink, a blue, and possibly a black model. Huawei used blue and green to great effect on the P10, where it worked with color experts Pantone to come up with the looks. It’s not clear if the black Nova 2 in the image is the same color all over, as only the front is pictured.

A closer look at the phone shows the Nova 2 may use the same antenna band layout as the P10, where it curves around the top and bottom of the device. A fingerprint sensor is mounted on the rear panel, which shifts away from the P10’s design, and repeats the look of the original Nova.

Before the poster leak, a phone said to be the Nova 2 passed through the TENAA industry regulator in China, and the pictured device looks identical to the one shown in the promo posters.

Specs

The Nova series phones are midrange devices, so expect the sequels to feature similar specs. The Nova 2 is rumored to have a 5.2-inch screen, slightly larger than the original’s 5-inch display, with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. It’s possible Huawei won’t use another Qualcomm Snapdragon processor — the Snapdragon 625 is inside the Nova — and instead swap it for one of its own Kirin 658 chips, also used in the P10 Lite.

Huawei has mastered the art of dual-camera lenses on its phones, and looks to continue the trend on the Nova 2. Rumors place the rear cameras at 12 megapixels each, bringing them more in line with the Honor 8 Pro, than the P10. Around the front, the Nova 2 may have a 20-megapixel selfie camera. A 3,000mAh battery may power the device.

Although nothing has been rumored, we’re hoping the Nova 2 phones will have Android 7.0 Nougat with the revitalized and vastly improved EMUI user interface on board.

Release date and price

In 2016, Huawei launched the Nova phones during the IFA technology trade show in Berlin. Despite the Nova phones being less than a year old, a teaser image has been spotted online indicating the Nova 2 series may arrive on May 26. While it’s possible, Huawei is holding an event on May 24, which will reveal the new MateBook, rather than new smartphones.

What may happen, is the new Nova phones will launch only in China, where all the teaser and rumors have focused on at this time. The Nova 2’s price may start at the local equivalent of around $360.

We’ll keep you updated on the Huawei Nova 2 here, so check back often.